System and method for effecting high-power beam control with outgoing wavefront correction utilizing holographic sampling at primary mirror, phase conjugation, and adaptive optics in low power beam path

a technology of adaptive optics and beam path, applied in the field of optics, can solve the problems of reducing durability and/or increasing manufacturing cost, limiting the performance of conventional adaptive optics systems using deformable mirrors, and delicate optical devices in the path of high-power energy beams
US6849841B2Inactive Publication Date: 2005-02-01RAYTHEON CO
17 Cites 45 Cited by

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Patents(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
RAYTHEON CO
Publication Date
2005-02-01
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

Smart Images

  • Figure 1
    Figure 1
  • Figure 2
    Figure 2
  • Figure 3
    Figure 3
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

A beam control system and method. In an illustrative embodiment, the inventive system (500) provides a first beam of electromagnetic energy (503); samples the first beam (503) and provides a second beam (505) in response thereto; detects aberrations in the second beam (505); and corrects aberrations in the first beam (503) in response to the detected aberrations. In a specific implementation, the invention (500) includes a beam director telescope (510) having a primary mirror (516) on which a holographic optical element (518) is disposed. The holographic optical element (518) samples the output high-power beam and provides a sampled beam to a wavefront sensor (520). The wavefront sensor (520) provides signals to an adaptive optics processor (580). The adaptive optics processor (580) analyzes the sampled wavefront, detects aberrations therein and provides a correction signal to an optical phased array (550).
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to optics. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for directing and correcting high-power beams of electromagnetic energy.2. Description of the Related ArtDirected energy weapons and specifically high-energy laser (HEL) weapons are being considered for variety of military applications with respect to a variety of platforms, e.g., spaceborne, airborne and land based systems to name a few. These weapons generally involve the use of the laser or other source of a high-energy beam to track and destroy a target. To achieve mission objectives, directed energy weapons must be accurately steered and optimally focused. Steering involves line-of-sight control while focusing, with respect to HEL weapons, involves wavefront error correction. Currently, wavefront error correction is typically achieved using adaptive optics. The current state of the art in laser beam control adaptive...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More